


More In Common Than I Thought

by afteriwake



Series: Evening Twilight [5]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-16
Updated: 2012-10-16
Packaged: 2017-11-16 10:40:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/538570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afteriwake/pseuds/afteriwake
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She didn't need him to rescue her, but in the end she was glad he had been there.</p>
            </blockquote>





	More In Common Than I Thought

**Author's Note:**

  * For [riahchan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/riahchan/gifts).



> For **riah_chan** , who gave me the prompt "Hisagi steps in to be a hero and Nanao lets him even though she could have totally taken care of it on her own." Set about a week after “Hung Over.” You don't need to read the other fic first, but just know he helped her through a hangover.

She really could have handled it herself.

It wasn't very many men, and even though she didn't fight often she had learned from the best. As lazy as her captain may seem, he took the time when she was much younger to teach her how to defend herself. It had been around the time Risa disappeared that he started, showing her how to use her short height to throw someone off balance. As she got older and grew taller the lessons changed, but he still taught her. Now she realized why he'd taken a special interest in her, to make sure if she ever got in a situation like this she could handle herself.

With there being four of them and one of her, the help was appreciated. There was no way she'd turn the assistance down, not even for her pride. But for him to take on all four of them without his zanpakatou on him? That was reckless. Foolish. Behavior she only associated with him when he was drunk.

Still, he was handling himself pretty well. She knew one of them had been knocked out cold with a few well placed punches, and the others were more wary because of it. He had a reputation as a peaceable man, so seeing Shuhei Hisagi taking a man armed with a knife down with ease must have been a surprise. It took the men a few more moments before another one went after him and walked away with what seemed like a broken jaw in the process. At the very least he was now missing a tooth or two.

The other two watched, and when the third was done scooting back, hand to his mouth, they bolted. As soon as the third stood up he joined them. He looked at the one knocked out cold, then turned to her. “You okay?” he asked.

She nodded, pushing her glasses farther up on her face. “Yes, I'm fine,” she said with a nod.

“We should get out of here before he wakes up,” he said, offering her his hand. She looked down at it, then hesitantly took it. “Let's get back to Seirieiti.” And with that they began to flash step to the nearest gate.

When they got there he let go of her hand, and she frowned. It had felt comfortable, holding his hand. It had felt the way she had thought it would, the way she had _hoped_ it would. She hid her sigh as he got them inside the gate and out of the Rukongai. “Thank you,” she said with a bow as the gate shut behind them. “This is the second time you've helped me in the last week.”

“Hey, no need for formality,” he said with a grin. “What were you doing out there, anyway?”

“Getting a book,” she said, holding up the sack she'd been carrying. “I had especially wanted to read this book of poetry.”

“Yeah? What is it?” he asked, tilting his head just a little.

“Shakespearean sonnets,” she said, adjusting her glasses.

“I like his comedies better,” he said with a slight shrug.

Her jaw dropped slightly. “You like Shakespeare?” she asked.

He nodded. “Captain Tousen encouraged me to expand what I read, and Captain Unohana suggested that I read one. I've read all his plays and quite few of his poems, but like I said, I like the comedies the best.”

“I've never read any of the plays,” she said.

“Start with 'A Midsummer Nights Dream,'” he said. “That's my favorite.”

“Perhaps...after I've read it, we can talk about it?” she suggested tentatively.

“Sure,” he said, a wide smile on his face. "I don't get to talk about stuff like this with too many people.” She smiled back, not a very wide one but a sincere one. “Hey, I've got to go, but...if you want, I can loan you my copy, so that if you don't like it you didn't have to pay for it. I can drop it off at your office tomorrow, okay?”

“Yes, that's fine,” she said. He grinned a little wider and went back to the gate. Then she realized she hadn't even asked him what he'd been doing before he stepped in and rescued her. Perhaps she would ask tomorrow, she thought to himself. Yes, that would be a good course of action. And with the smile still lingering on her lips, she headed back to her quarters, thoughts of new reading material and the chance to spend more time with Lieutenant Hisagi the foremost pleasant thoughts she had.


End file.
